Focus on Creativity

Last week I had the incredible good fortune of spending a week with Tile of Spain attending the Cevisama Spain tile show. It's almost impossible to put into words just how inspiring the show was. Instead, I took lot's of photos so that I could share what is happening...

When I was in photography school, the entire first year was spent on learning the technical skills involved in creating a great photo. We learned how to use a light meter for proper exposure (this was before in-camera light meters and auto exposure). We learned about...

Before I get to the two granite choices that won't date your kitchen I want to thank everyone for all the supportive comments that were left on last weeks blog regarding our mission to downsize. It has been more work and more stress than I could have imagined but we...

My husband and I, like almost every other baby boomer I know have been talking about downsizing. For the past three or four years we have wanted to unload our big house in the country/burbs and the responsibilities of cleaning, gardening and the maintenance that goes...

What happens though when you only have your iphone and you see the perfect image yet only have a second to grab it before it’s gone? This happens often if you think about it, especially when photographing kids, pets, or any kind of action.

It's funny how everyone comes away from a big design show like KBIS (the annual Kitchen and Bath Industry Show) with a different perspective and different thoughts on what is new or trending. I am a color lover so I obviously am going to be drawn to all the color I...

Ever wonder what that little HDR symbol means on the top of your camera screen? It stands for HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE which in simple terms is the ratio of light to dark in a photo. When you turn on the HDR it works to balance the highlights and shadows in the photo so...

Next week I will be in Orlando Florida attending the US luxury Kitchen and Bath Industry Show, or as the insiders call it, KBIS. For the past two years I was a sponsored guest at the show courtesy of Modenus and fabulous vendors such as Thermador, Mr. Steam, Top...

January 2017 though feels different. Last year at this time I was just happy to be alive. This year I feel like I need to jump off the high board. I want to do something big and challenging and step out of my comfort zone in a big way. I’m just not exactly sure what it looks like. I can “feel it” but I can’t “see it”.

First off, a huge thank you to all who entered to win the Domino Book Giveaway. My husband drew Claire Cuevas's name from all the entries. You can see the video on my Instagram of the drawing but I had problems posting it here on the blog. Now, on to today's post. The...

This story actually began over thirty years ago, when I was a newlywed. My husband and I, for a reason I no longer remember decided to give up our convenient but very noisy apartment in Harvard Square and move to an idyllic little coastal town North of Boston called Ipswich.

Back in 2005-2007 I was huge Domino junkie. Domino magazine came out about the same time I was starting to get serious about interior design. I was taking design classes at a local college and devouring every shelter magazine and design book I came across. I remember...

You see my client is a passionate cook and she says waving her hand under the faucet to turn on the water is a dream. No more dirty, greasy handles and she loves the clean sleek modern look. The Beale faucet is new from American Standard and it’s the Selectronic hands-free sensor that allows you to operate the faucet without touching. It also easily changes to manual mode when desired with a sliding sensor door.

Well Thanksgiving is over and I hope you had a wonderful day with your family and friends. As it turned out, life happened and we did not have the Thanksgiving we had planned. Two days before Thanksgiving my son and his girlfriend's Great Dane, Portia, came down with...

Last week's blog post was meant to be a lighthearted diversion from all the stress surrounding the election. I had gone to the Massachusetts Orchid Show and shared my iPhone images of the flowers. Now the election is behind us yet based on what I am seeing on the...

Let's face it, the 2016 election has been a nightmare. The animosity, hatred and immature bullying has reached a sad new low. The process has so divided and polarized our nation that many Americans, myself included, are stressed and worried about the future of our...

While visiting the London design shows in September, I discovered so many inspiring and innovative products. One product that caught my attention was this 3D art form from King Kong Design based in Barcelona Spain. King Kong Design merges traditional manual paper...

As a decorator one of the things I like most about design is choosing fabric. I think most designers do because it's one of the fun parts of design. Fabrics can be the inspiration and starting point for the whole project. While I was in London with DesignHounds we...

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! The first time I saw this on my iPhone camera screen I felt a mixture of disbelief and panic. Disbelief because I had recently cleared my phone of all images (or so I thought) and panic because it happened at High Point Market. I had only owned...

One of the many perks of being a design blogger is that I get to learn about and then share with my readers new products for the home that have either just been released or are about to be released. While in London with Designhounds I had the opportunity to meet and...

While in London with DesignHounds, I had the pleasure of getting up close and personal with Fromental wallpaper. In case you haven't heard of it, Fromental is pretty much the gold standard for exquisite, luxury wall paper.It is high end couture for the walls. Hand...

Hi everyone! I'm back from my Design Hounds London trip. If you have been considering going on a Design Hound trip I would urge you to jump at the next chance. Veronika Miller and her team gave our group the experience of a lifetime. I have so much to share about all...

To say I am excited today is an understatement. On Saturday I will be traveling to London for a week as a DesignHound to attend design shows, visit design showrooms and do a little antiquing with Toma Clark Haines, aka The Antiques Diva. Besides being immersed in...

Ideally, once a design project is complete a professional photographer is hired to photograph. However, what if the budget doesn't allow for a professional or the room is not of the quality to make it worth the expense? Sometimes we just need to get the best shots...